Friday, 11 December 2009

Sheffield based company Pulse Tidal is celebrating after an £7.3 million pound grant from the EU means it can start work on developing the first commercial tidal energy generator in the UK.

As reported on New Energy Focus, the company which specialises in sourcing energy from shallow waters has already signed contracts with supply chain partners, to develop the horizontal blade system, which moves up and down with the tidal streams.

"The grant has come from the EU's technology research and development fund (Framework Programme 7) - its main instrument for funding research and development in science and technology - and will fund 50% of the development, with the remaining 50% to be provided by private investment.

Recent improvements to the EU funding process mean that the EU provides 40% of the grant at the start of the project, with the remainder dispersed each year according to the progress of the project.

This will allow the project to begin immediately and gives Pulse more time to secure matching funds."

A test 'rig' in place in the Humber Estuary is already developing 100kW which is fed to a chemicals factory on the nearby banks. The new scheme will develop 1MW which the company claims will provide for up to 1,000 homes.

You can see an artists impression of the system in operation and read more at New Energy Focus.